Anti-Semitic and Racist Black Militant Group Uses Nick Cannon and Other Celebrity ‘Endorsements’ to Promote Million Youth March

New York, NY, July 15, 2013 … The largest organized anti-Semitic and racist black militant group in America is using video clips of celebrity Nick Cannon and other public figures in the entertainment and business worlds to promote the upcoming “Million Youth March,” according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Cannon appears in an online video being promoted by the New Black Panther Party (NBPP) through its web site and social media. In the video, Cannon invites people to attend the September 7 march in Harlem, New York, which it recently renamed “Millions for Trayvon” in the aftermath of the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of an unarmed black youth, Trayvon Martin, in Sanford, Florida.

“While it is unclear if these celebrity and business leaders realize exactly who and what they are promoting, their endorsements of the Million Youth March only help to legitimize the virulently anti-Semitic and racist message of the New Black Panther Party,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.

“We hope that these public figures will take it upon themselves to completely disassociate themselves from the march,” said Mr. Foxman. “I think the last thing they would want is to have their names associated with the hateful message and mission of the New Black Panthers.”

Since first learning of the video’s existence two weeks ago, ADL has made several attempts to reach out to Cannon’s manager and publicists to ask about his apparent endorsement of the march, but has had no response thus far. Cannon appears in a videotaped interview with NBPP’s national chief of staff, Hashim Nzinga, who has a history of anti-Semitism.

Other endorsements the New Black Panthers claim to have secured for the march include Michael V. Roberts, a St. Louis real estate and media mogul, who also appears in a NBPP video; Leon Goodrum, a businessman who owns a number of McDonald’s franchises in Atlanta; and Comer Cottrell, the entrepreneur who founded Pro-Line Haircare.

In 2012, the New Black Panther Party offered a $10,000 reward for the “capture” of George Zimmerman with a wanted poster with a photo of Zimmerman’s face in the crosshairs. The NBPP’s Florida representative has called Zimmerman “a wicked white beast” and claimed “his father is a Jew, he’s a no good Jew.”

Earlier this year, NBPP National Field Marshall King Samir Shabazz urged members of the group to press their uniforms so the crease would “cut that cracker’s throat in half and watch his head roll down the street.”

Shabazz has also called white nurseries and churches legitimate targets for bombings. He was arrested June 20in New York City on charges of carrying a loaded, unlicensed firearm and the illegal wearing of body armor.

ADL is the world’s leading anti-hate organization. Founded in 1913 in response to an escalating climate of anti-Semitism and bigotry, its timeless mission is to protect the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment for all. Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of hate with the same vigor and passion. A global leader in exposing extremism, delivering anti-bias education, and fighting hate online, ADL is the first call when acts of anti-Semitism occur. ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.